I didn’t understand at the time the depth of addiction that Wayne was under. referring to Wayne Static‘s wife, Tera Wray, who passed away in 2016 That was what I was going to have to worry about. “When I got to L.A., the first thing I did was a short West Coast tour with DOPE and Wayne Static,” he continued. “I purposely did this because I wanted to reconnect with Wayne and start the conversation with him about — I’m a businessman and energy guy. It made no sense to me that Wayne Static was on tour celebrating the anniversary of ‘Wisconsin Death Trip’, playing the album in its entirety as Wayne Static to small crowds. “The motive behind it is that I, Edsel Dope, have zero interest in being the frontman, face or being known as the singer of STATIC-X,” he said.
EDSEL DOPE Explains Why STATIC-X Couldn’t Just Hire A New Vocalist
“With STATIC-X, we knew very early on that we were not going to have the overwhelming support of the media and the community,” Edsel continued. Edsel then discussed the role he’s taken on to ensure Wayne Static’s legacy is handled properly, including the 2020 “Project Regeneration” album that consisted of Wayne’s last recordings. “For me, when coming onboard to help complete the last bit of music that Wayne left behind, which ended up accidentally stumbling into what became a treasure trove of content, which I’m so excited and so blessed to have been the guy who got to uncover it,” he said.
And he’s probably right – Wayne Static was the face of Static-X, and trying to put someone new in his place would’ve been a bad call. The reaction to the costume for Xer0 was originally mixed, but it seems like everyone’s cool with it now and having fun.
In 2018, STATIC-X resurrected and introduced the enigmatic Xer0 as their new frontman. Gossip quickly spread that Xer0 was actually Edsel Dope of DOPE fame–and these rumors have since been validated by Dope himself. Despite this knowledge, however, it seems Edsel is not keen on being recognized for his role in STATIC-X‘s resurgence. Funny enough, this is the second time the mystery member of a prominent band has been identified by an exposed tattoo, after Slipknot’s Alessandro Venturella.
- “I have quietly sat through all of this speculation and have thoroughly enjoyed the ride,” it began.
- The first of two volumes, “Project Regeneration Vol. 1” featured 12 brand new tracks, containing many of the final vocal performances and musical compositions of Static, along with bassist Tony Campos, drummer Ken Jay and guitarist Koichi Fukuda.
- In his statement, Dope also expressed his gratitude at the chance to tour alongside the nu metal band in honour of Wayne Static and Static-X’s album ‘Wisconsin Death Trip’, which marks its 20th anniversary this year.
- “When it came time to put it on stage and take it on tour, it was, ‘There should never be another singer of Static-X that’s a person.”
EDSEL DOPE Explains How He Got Involved In STATIC-X, Why He Doesn’t Want To Be Known As The Frontman
Both volumes are being worked on by longtime STATIC-X producer Ulrich Wild. In a recent interview with Blabbermouth, Dope opened up about his decision to adopt the name Xer0 and conceal himself in a mask while performing. He also reminisced fondly on his close relationship with late STATIC-X frontman Wayne Static and detailed their shared experience of co-headlining tours in the mid 2010s when he first embarked on solo endeavors. Well, if there was any doubt, you can now lay that doubt to rest. edsel dope xero The Danish ‘zine Metal a Day spotted one of Edsel’s tattoos in a photo of ‘Xer0’ performing. So unless some dude has the same exact ink in the same exact spot as the guy who was already rumored to be the Static-X character, this settles it.
How many editorials have you seen out there trying to figure out who they are? It’s just that natural curiosity to want to know who’s behind the music you like. I don’t think there’s any campaign on trying to “tear down” Static-X either. We’ve covered everything they’ve done since the reunion, and frankly I liked the first Project Regeneration record. I thought it was well done and the songs were great, and I hope the second volume coming up this year is as well.
“In many ways, I’m not a big afterlife person, but in this very room, I have felt him tapping me on the shoulder going, ‘Don’t fuck this up, man.’ I have a really great relationship with his family. If there was any pressure, it was self-induced because I try to imagine what it would be like if someone were doing this for me and how much I would want them to care and how much I would want them to make sure it was done right. That was the number one focus. That was where all the energy went. When Erickson noted that social media has given everyone a voice, which in turn has turned out to be more of “negative than a positive”, Dope concurred. “When I got to L.A., the first thing I did was a short West Coast tour with Dope and Wayne Static. I purposely did this because I wanted to reconnect with Wayne and start the conversation with him about — I’m a businessman and energy guy. It made no sense to me that Wayne Static was on tour celebrating the anniversary of Wisconsin Death Trip, playing the album in its entirety as Wayne Static to small crowds. Sadly, even though it’s Wayne Static playing Static-X songs, it’s not the same as Static-X. The amount of people showing up to see Wayne Static was infantile to what would have been if it was Static-X. “Sadly, even though it’s Wayne Static playing STATIC-X songs, it’s not the same as STATIC-X. The amount of people showing up to see Wayne Static was infantile to what would have been if it was STATIC-X.
EDSEL DOPE: ‘I Have No Interest In Being The Frontman, Face Or’ Being ‘Known As The Singer Of STATIC-X’
“There’s one living, breathing singer of Static-X, and that’s Wayne Static. And then there’s a character, an entity, for lack of better words, that was created in order to allow Static-X to have a future and to continue and be the legacy act that they are and tour and perform, and we gave that character a name that is respective to Static-X and fits the branding of what Static-X is, and that’s what the importance is. It’s the importance of recognizing the character as opposed to recognizing the person behind the character.” DOPE leader Edsel Dope has shared his thoughts on “Xer0”, the masked frontman of STATIC-X who is widely believed to be him. In a recent interview with BLABBERMOUTH.NET, Edsel talked about the unique position of fronting STATIC-X in place of deceased vocalist/guitarist Wayne Static while trying to remain faceless. In an interview with Blabbermouth, Dope discussed his choice to go by the name Xer0 and to wear a mask on stage. He also touched on his relationship with the late Static-X frontman Wayne Static and touring with Static when he was going solo in the mid-2010s. Static-X reformed in 2018 with the mysterious Xer0 fronting the band.
ROB ZOMBIE & MUDVAYNE Announce Summer Tour With STATIC-X & POWERMAN 5000
Either way, if you were planning on catching some of these Static-X reunion shows, this confirmation shouldn’t really stop you. The band is on tour right now with DevilDriver, Dope, Wednesday 13, and Raven Black. Dope continued, saying that if Static-X had hired just a regular old non-costume-wearing vocalist, there would’ve been a shitstorm.
Was there ever any doubt that ‘Xer0,’ the highly unsettling Wayne Static cosplayer currently touring with Static-X (tickets), is, in fact, lead Dope dope Edsel Dope? Dope are on every single one of Static-X’s tour dates, the same way Black Label Society used to be on every Ozzfest. Also, pretending to be Wayne Static every night is probably a nice change of pace from pretending to be a car.
This album featured some of Wayne‘s final recordings and was a way to commemorate him after he passed away. On October 12, Edsel Dope posted a lengthy statement on his band’s Facebook page quashing the rumours, implying Xer0’s telltale neck tat was in fact a Photoshop job. “I have quietly sat through all of this speculation and have thoroughly enjoyed the ride,” it began. Last week, Static-X fans thought they had identified the reformed band’s mysterious vocalist Xer0 as Edsel Dope – but the frontman of Dope has since quashed those claims, comparing the speculation to “an episode of Scooby-Doo”.
